The Smell

[Gary From CA]

I love fishing and usually do catch and release, but sometimes I like to keep them for some added protein on longer hikes. The smell is tough to get off of things though, including my hands. I usually end up with more items smelling like bear bait than I can fit inside my canister, and camp suds don't seem to help very much. Are there any tricks for containing or eliminating the smell while I'm still out on the trail? Or is smelling like fish when you crawl into your down bag at night just part of the experience?

[Anonymous]

"Are there any tricks for containing or eliminating the smell while I'm still out on the trail?"

Rinse your hands well to remove as much fish slime as possible, then reach down over the undercut bank of a stream, and sometimes a lake, and pull out a handful of mud and moss. Rub it well into your skin, the cuticles of your fingernails included, and rinse well. The odor should be gone. Sometimes it is necessary to repeat the operation, but usually once will suffice. You can also do this with regular soil, but the moss-mud combo works better.

[BlackHatGuy]

Never knew that Tom, thanks for the tip!

Alternately, you can wear latex gloves while you're handling/cleaning the fish, and then close them up in an odor proof bag with your other garbage. At least that will keep the smell contained.

[Dan Yeruski]

This stuff might work. Carry 1/2oz in something.

http://www.zorbx.com/shop700/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=20&cat=Unscented+Odor+Removers

7.5 oz ZorbX Unscented Odor Remover Great for Kitchen & Bathroom and other areas

[Ian]

My family limited-out on Dungeness Crab over the 4th of July weekend which left us with the daunting task of cooking and cleaning over 60 of them. I was at one point convinced that I would never get the smell off of my hands.

Then BPL saved the day.

I believed Jerry Adams (or was it someone else?) suggested in another thread to use coffee grounds. So I scrubbed my hands with wet coffee grounds and it worked great. The coffee smell on my hands didn't stick around too long, and I'd rather take my chances smelling like a barista than a fishmonger in bear country.

[Dominic Camarda]

Most people already carry it on the trail for sanitation purposes. Works great for removing fish odor as well!

I don't have the greatest sense of smell but it removes it 100% for me. YMMV.

[Author]

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